Reviewer:

I made these for a potluck, and everyone raved about them. I used maple bacon and dredged the bacon and the mini hotdogs in brown sugar before assembling like other reviewers suggested. I did not use toothpicks. I prepped everything the night before. The brown sugar liquified in the refrigerator over night, so I just sprinkled more on top. I baked them for 40 minutes at the recommended temperature and then put them in a slow cooker with a half cup of maple syrup. These are practically foolproof.

Reviewer:

I've made these a few times now, and everyone loved them! There is a difference between baking them in a glass dish and a metal one. The glass works better as the sugar doesn't caramelize. I also broil them a couple of minutes after baking them.

I've made these many times now and they're amazing! People are always requesting we bring this to parties and pot lucks. A few tips to make the process easier:
I fill a deep baking dish with brown sugar, then dump in the smokies and mix with my hands. I usually just cut the bacon in half instead of thirds and this helps them stay together without toothpicks. I take a bacon half and roll it right in the pan with the smokies and sugar. This ensures that everything is completely dredged in sugar. Always line the cookie sheets with heavy duty foil! This will make clean up way easier. I also have a metal cooling rack that fits perfectly into the foil covered cookie sheet. I put the smokies ontop of the rack and it keeps them out of the grease. I usually cook for 40-45 minutes, then broil to crisp them up a bit. Make sure youre watching closely when your broil! Usually only takes about 3 minutes to brown them nicely. After taking them out of the oven I toss them in the slow cooker, sprinkle with a little more sugar, and put on warm. This makes them easy to transport and keeps them nice and warm. We NEVER have left overs!

Reviewer:

Strong mixed reviews from my house on this one. When I saw they were floating in bacon grease, I moved them to a wire rack over a baking sheet. (I am a crispy bacon lover). I cooked them an additional 10 min on the wire rack, then I turned each one over and cooked them another 6 min. My husband thinks they are great. I was not so impressed. The bacon still was not crispy, and they were very salty.

Reviewer:

I made these for a party much to the dismay of my "eat healthy" wife who was horrified by the ingredients. But even she had to admit that they were "pretty good" which is a huge compliment. I thought the guys would be the ones that went to town on these, but the ladies ate more than their fair share. I'd make them again, but would do as others suggested: Dredge the bacon in the brown sugar, wrap the Smokies, and let them marinate together for a few hours or overnight. I found it a little difficult to coat them once they were put together, so dredging the bacon first should fix this.